Prairie falcons are mid-sized pale brown falcons that favor desert and grassland country in western North America.   They feed on both birds and mammals and are extremely fast and aggressive.   These birds were photographed in or near the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County and the Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo, California.
           Prairie falcons are paler, slightly smaller, and a bit slimmer than the other large widely-distributed North American falcon, the peregrine.   Prairies also have a distinctive black 'armpit' (or 'wingpit') when seen in flight; this is visible in several of the images on this page.   Their eyes also seem to be particularly large and dark.

• Canon 1D4 or 7D2; 800 mm IS lens with 1.4X extender, fill-in flash (2013 - 2016)